Coiling device

ABSTRACT

A device for coiling and uncoiling elongated goods (K), such as wire, cable or the like, onto a drum ( 13 ) comprises a support ( 12 ) with driving means ( 25 ) for a spreader arm ( 10 ). The spreader arm ( 10 ) is rotatably mounted on the support ( 12 ) and supports a gripping arm ( 14 ) for coiling and uncoiling the elongated goods (K) onto the stationary drum ( 13 ). The gripping arm ( 14 ) is formed as a curved V-profile having a running track arranged for the elongated goods (K), which running track is oriented towards the drum ( 13 ). The said running track is defined by feeding rollers mounted within the gripping arm ( 14 ). The feeding rollers are spherical in shape and have a rolling resistance near zero to eliminate twisting of the elongated goods (K) during coiling and uncoiling. The device also comprises a lifting and rotating table ( 15 ) provided under the drum ( 13 ) for making possible 180° rotation of the drum ( 13 ), which has a coupling ( 16, 27 ) to the support ( 12 ) detachably arranged during lifting of the drum ( 13 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for coiling and uncoiling elongated goods, such as wire, cable or the like, onto a drum and comprising a support with driving means for a spreader arm, which is rotatably mounted on the support for coiling and uncoiling the elongated goods onto the stationary drum.

2. Discussion of the Background

Coiling and uncoiling wire, cable and similar elongated goods by means of a coiling device is per se previously known. During coiling by way of such known devices, the coiled goods are torsionally twisted, wherein one turn of coiling causes one turn of twisting. Counter-clockwise coiling causes clockwise twisting, and clockwise coiling causes counter-clockwise twisting. Uncoiling usually takes place in the opposite direction to the coiling. When all the coiled goods have been uncoiled as stated above there is no remaining twist, however, mechanical stress in the goods has resulted.

Owing to frictional resistance in the spreader arm and in the goods, twisting is not linear along the length of the goods but the portion last coiled will be twisted to a much greater extent as compared to a previously coiled portion of the goods.

The non-linearity of the twisting thus arisen during coiling, which causes mechanical stress in the elongated goods, is not acceptable in some situations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To solve the problems pointed out above, the device according to the invention has a spreader arm which, at its side facing the goods, presents a gripping arm, arranged to guide the elongated goods substantially in a tangential direction relative to the periphery of the drum.

In a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the gripping arm has a running track in the form of a curved V-profile. Advantageously, the surface of the running track contacting the goods is defined by feeding rollers, which are spherical in shape and which present a rolling resistance near zero to eliminate twisting of the elongated goods during coiling and uncoiling.

In order to provide a uniform layer of the elongated goods coiled onto the drum, the spreader arm is provided with a device for moving the gripping arm, so that the gripping arm moves along the width of the drum in accordance with the coiling or uncoiling of the goods.

For access to the end of the elongated goods for uncoiling, the device according to the invention is provided with a lifting and rotating table so as to make possible 180° rotation of the drum coiled with goods before uncoiling is initiated. The lifting and rotating table is preferably disposed on a carriage, the wheels of which run on rails starting out from the support of the device.

The present invention further relates to a winding machine and an intermediate storage device having a coiling device of the above-mentioned kind and intended for feeding a cable when mounting the cable in the slots of a stator for an electric machine.

The device, the winding machine and the intermediate storage device is especially but not exclusively intended to be applied when mounting high-voltage cable, on a generator where high-voltage cable is used in the windings of the stator, which cable lacks the outer protective covering normally surrounding such cable.

When mounting such a cable in a stator for an electric machine, the cable is required to be completely free or nearly free from twist, i.e. twisting of the cable should be linear relative to the cable length. This implies that one turn of uncoiling from the drum arbitrarily along the length of the cable should be free or nearly free from twist. In particular the invented device is advantageous when used for an rotating electric machine of the type disclosed in WO-97/45919.

The cable is preferably of the kind having an inner core with a plurality of wires, an inner semiconductive layer surrounding the core, an insulating layer surrounding the inner semiconductive layer and an outer semiconductive layer surrounding the insulating layer, preferably with a diameter of about 20 to 200 mm and a conductor area ranging from 80 to 3000 mm².

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the coiling device according to the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of equipment for mounting a cable in the stator slots of a stator for an electric generator, which equipment includes coiling devices according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the principle of the coiling device according to the invention,

FIG. 3 is a section A—A according to FIG. 2 through the gripping arm associated with the coiling device,

FIG. 4 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the coiling device according to the invention, and

FIG. 5 is front view of the coiling device seen in the direction of the arrow P according to FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

When mounting a cable K in a stator S, for example, for an electric generator according to the copending Swedish patent application 9700364-4 entitled “Method and device for mounting cables”, equipment such as shown in FIG. 1 is used. This equipment includes a winding machine 2 and two intermediate storage device 3, 4 by way of which the cable K to be mounted in the stator S is distributed to cable feeders A and B. In the exemplified equipment, the winding machine 2 as well as the intermediate storage device 3 and 4 are formed as coiling devices according to the present invention.

The principle of the coiling device according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. Thus, a spreader arm 10 is rotatably mounted on an axle 11 and is brought to rotate by a driving device (25, 26 in FIG. 4) disposed in the support 12 of the device. The spreader arm 10 thus rotates around the center of rotation R as indicated by the dash and dot line 10′, during coiling and uncoiling of elongated goods K on a stationary drum 13. The spreader arm 10 supports a gripping arm 14, which is drivably mounted along the spreader arm 10 as will be described below with reference to FIG. 4.

The drum 13 is arranged to be disconnected by way of a lifting and rotating table 15 from the coupling 16 of the support 12 so as to be rotated 180°. The lifting and rotating table 15 is disposed on a carriage 17, the wheels 18 of which run on rails 19. In dashed line there is shown the drum 13 advanced by the carriage 17 into position 13′ for said rotating by way of the lifting and rotating table 15.

To provide coiling and uncoiling of a cable K without twisting, the gripping arm 14 has a V-shaped cross section within which feeding rollers 20 are mounted in holders 21, as shown in FIG. 3. The feeding rollers 20 are spherical in shape and serve as a running track for the cable K. The spherical rollers 20 have a rolling resistance near zero, implying that twisting of the cable K is eliminated during coiling and uncoiling.

Since each holder 21 is mounted on a spring biased shaft 22 in the V-shaped gripping arm 14, the spherical rollers 20 are automatically adjustable for feeding cables of various dimensions, which is indicated by the cable sizes K, K′ and K″ in FIG. 3.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 there is depicted a preferred embodiment of the coiling device according to the invention, the support 12 containing a drive motor 25, which by way of a belt or chain drive 26 brings the spreader arm 10 to rotate around the axle 11, which is fixedly mounted in the support 12. At the end of the axle 11 facing outwardly from the support 12 there is provided a coupling mechanism 16 arranged to support the drum 13.

The drum 13 on either front surface presents a tap-formed attachment 27 for alternately cooperating with the coupling mechanism 16 of the support.

The spreader arm 10 has a boom 28, whose under side (facing the drum 13) is formed with a screw 29 for feeding the gripping arm 14. The screw 29 is driven by a belt 30 or chain drive connected to the fixed axle 11, the screw 29 being advanced along the boom 28 in dependence on the rotation of the spreader arm 10. The cable K is hereby coiled and uncoiled along the periphery of the drum 13.

A carriage 17 supports the lifting and rotating table 15, which has an upwardly oriented coupling mechanism 31 for cooperation with yet another couple of tap-formed attachments 32 disposed on one front surface of the drum 13. The lifting and rotating table 15 may include a hydraulic lifting device of pantograph type, but the lifting device may be of other construction also. The carriage 17 is depicted in FIG. 4 in three different positions: a position 17 indicated by continuous lines, an inner end position 17′ indicated by dashed lines, and an outer end position 17″ also indicated by dashed lines.

As stated above, before uncoiling a coiled drum 13 it is necessary to turn the drum 180° before uncoiling it, so that the cable K coiled is accessible for uncoiling. Turning of the drum 13 is carried out with the carriage 17 in the position indicated by continuous lines, where the lifting device 15 is brought to an elevated position (not shown), so that the upwardly oriented coupling mechanism 31 is brought to cooperate with the additional attachments 32 of the drum 13. The drum 13 is lifted out of engagement between the coupling means 16 and the tap attachment 27.

The drum 13 is now supported by the carriage 17, which is pulled to the outer end position 17″ where the lifting and rotating table 15 (and hence the drum 13) is rotated 180°. When this is done, the carriage 17 is pushed to the inner end position 17′ and the lifting device 15 is lowered so that the tap attachment 27 of the drum 13 is brought into engagement with the coupling mechanism 16. The drum 13 thus turned is now ready for uncoiling.

The coiling functions will thus be as follows. For coiling, the free end of the cable K is attached to the far end of the drum 13. The other end of the cable K is assumed to be fixed in the slot in a stator frame (S according to FIG. 1). Coiling of the cable K should be carried out such that there will be only one layer of cable on the drum 13. For this purpose, the spreader arm 10 is provided with the device 29 which moves the gripping arm 14 so that only one layer of cable is coiled onto the drum 13. On completion of the coiling, the cable K is removed from the gripping arm 14, the drum is rotated 180° in the horizontal, the free end of the cable K is disconnected and is pulled off the drum 13 via the gripping arm 14 for continued winding of the stator.

While the coiling device according to the invention has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, it will be clear to a person skilled in the art that modifications of various parts may be made without departing from the principle of the invention. The invention therefore shall not be considered limited to what is shown and described with reference to the drawings but is defined solely by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for coiling and uncoiling of elongated goods onto a drum comprising: a support having a driving device, and a spreader arm configured to be driven by said driving device, said spreader arm being rotatably mounted on the support and when driven by the driving device being configured to coil or uncoil the elongated goods onto the drum, when said drum is stationary, where a coiling operation occurs when said spreader arm is driven by said driving device in one direction, and an uncoiling operation occurring when said driving device drives the spreader arm in an opposite direction, wherein said spreader arm having a gripping arm positioned to face the elongated goods and configured to guide the elongated goods substantially in a tangential direction relative to a periphery of the drum.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said gripping arm being formed as a curved V-profile having a running track arranged to accommodate the elongated goods therein, said running track being oriented towards the drum.
 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said gripping arm further comprises feeding rollers mounted therein, said feeding rollers forming the running track of the curved V-profile.
 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the feeding rollers being spherical in shape and having a rolling resistance near zero so as to eliminate twisting of the elongated goods during at least one of the coiling operation and the uncoiling operation.
 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said spreader arm being configured to move the gripping arm so that only one layer of the elongated goods is coiled onto the drum.
 6. The device according to claim 5, wherein said spreader arm comprises a screw that is driven through the spreader arm by way of at least one of a belt and chain mounted on the axle fixed in the support.
 7. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a lifting and rotating table configured to be positioned under the drum and having a detachable coupling that is coupled to the support when lifting the drum so as to enable a lifting and 180° rotation operation of the drum.
 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: said lifting and rotating table being disposed on a carriage having wheels, the wheels being arranged to run on rails that originate from the support.
 9. The device according to claims 1, wherein said elongated goods being a high-voltage cable.
 10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said high-voltage cable having a core with a plurality of wires, an inner semiconductive layer surrounding the core, an insulating layer surrounding the inner semiconductive layer and an outer semiconductive layer surrounding the insulating layer.
 11. The device according to claim 9, wherein said high-voltage cable having a diameter in an inclusive range of 20 mm to 200 mm and a conductor area in an inclusive range of 80 mm² through 3000 mm².
 12. A winding machine configured to feed a cable when mounting the cable in slots of a stator for an electric machine, comprising: a driving device, and a spreader arm configured to be driven by said driving device, said spreader arm being rotatably mounted on a support and when driven by the driving device being configured to coil or uncoil the elongated goods onto the drum, when said drum is stationary, where a coiling operation occurs when said spreader arm is driven by said driving device in one direction, and an uncoiling operation occurring when said driving device drives the spreader arm in an opposite direction, wherein said spreader arm having a gripping arm positioned to face the elongated goods and configured to guide the elongated goods substantially in a tangential direction relative to a periphery of the drum.
 13. An intermediate storage mechanism comprising a coiling device for feeding a cable when mounting the cable in slots of a stator of an electric machine, said coiling device comprising: a driving device, and a spreader arm configured to be driven by said driving device, said spreader arm being rotatably mounted on a support and when driven by the driving device being configured to coil or uncoil the elongated goods onto the drum, when said drum is stationary, where a coiling operation occurs when said spreader arm is driven by said driving device in one direction, and an uncoiling operation occurring when said driving device drives the spreader arm in an opposite direction, wherein said spreader arm having a gripping arm positioned to face the elongated goods and configured to guide the elongated goods substantially in a tangential direction relative to a periphery of the drum.
 14. A device for coiling and uncoiling elongated goods onto a drum, comprising: means for spreading an elongated cable on a drum; and means for eliminating twist in the elongated goods when said elongated goods being coiled or uncoiled on the drum. 